Cementing equipment



Nov. 22, 1949 FIG.|.

J. J. LARKIN CEMENTING EQUIPMENT Filed Jan. 25, 1945 lll.

BY @www ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 22, 1949 CEMENTING EQUIPMENT John J. Larkin. deceased, late of St. Louis County, Mo., by Lillian V. Larkin, St. Louis County, Lila G. Dancy, Glendale, and St. Louis Union Trust Company, St. Louis, M0., executors, assignors to Larkin Packer Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application January 25, 1945', Serial No. 574,585'

(Cl. 16d-1) 13 Claims.

This invention relates to well equipment, and more particularly equipment of the character employed for cementing wells.

In the cementng of oil or gas wells various formations or strata must be sealed off. In some cases theseA may be water formations and in some cases gas formations. In those cases Where the economic formation is oil, it is desired that such formation be left unsealed, and this is also true where the economic formation is gas.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide convenient equipment which is capable of performing its required operations under various conditions and which is applicable to those conditions without any substantial change.

Another object is to provide equipment of the character described which is simple in construction and simple and efficient in its operation.

Further objects will appear from the detail of the description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which will be described an illustrative embodiment of this invention.

It will be understood, however, that this invention is susceptible of various other embodiments, within the scope of the appended claims, Without departing from the spirit of this invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section illustrating an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a similar view with the parts in different positions;

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a partial section on line 4-4 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a detail showing another embodiment of this invention.

Generally, stated, and in accordance with the illustrated embodiment of this invention, a shoe is provided with a side port, with a valve for that port, with a packer surrounding the shoe, and means is provided which operates on the packer and the valve to expand the packer and to open the port. The means employed is hydraulically controlled and the operation is successively on the packer and on the valve to first expand the packer and then to open the port. In that way a formation below the packer is sealed off while the washing and cementing operations are accomplished by the passage of the fluid through the side port. The shoe may, however, be provided with a valved guide so that Washing and cementing may be accomplished through the bottom of the shoe inthe usual manner.

Referring now to the drawings, the formation through which the hole 9 passes may have a series of strata, for instance, a water stratum II and an oil stratum I0. A shoe comprises a bodyJ i2 which may be of steel and threaded internallyV to receive the neck I3 of a guide I 4, which may be ofa readily frangible material such as Bakelite. The shoe body is enlarged at the top, as

shown at I 5, and internally threaded to receive a; pipe section (not shown). The interior of the guide is enlarged to provide a chamber I6, receiving a ball valve I'I, which may also be of Bakelite. This ball valve is adapted to rest upon ribs I8, providing passages I9 when the- Aball is so positioned as shown in the drawings,

The shoe body has threaded therein a plug 205, which may also be of Bakelite and having a central hole 2| and a valve seat 22. The parts so Yfar described may be of usual construction and may operate in the usual manner.

The bottom of the shoe body has a sleeve 2,3V

secured thereto in any suitable manner, as byy set screws 24, to provide an abutment for a packer 25 of rubber or any other suitable material surrounding the shoe. A movable member in the form of a sleeve or follower 26, whichmaybe of steel, is arranged to slide upon the shoe body and bear against the upper end of the packer. The construction isv such, as hereinafter is a valve 29 provided with a gasket or packing-I ring 3u of rubber or other suitable material. The valve 29- may be of Bakelite or other frangible material. A series of shear pins 3| of frangible material such as Bakelite connects the valve 29 with the sleeve 26, and these pins extend through the ports 2l. Intermediate the ports are a series oflocking devices in the form of slips, tapered wedges, or balls 32 arranged in a tapered annular recess 33 within the sleeve 26, held therein by pins 31. The inside faces of the slips may be toothed or roughened to take against the body. These slips permit downward movement of the sleeve but lock return movement of the same. The top ofI the valve 29 is provided with a valve seat 34 adapted to receive a closure 35 in the form of a ball that may loe-weighted, for example, by forming the ball of Bakelite and providing it with a core 36 of a material such as lead.

The shoe attached to a pipe may be run into the well in the regular manner, as shown in Figure l, at which time the parts will be in the position as shown in Figure l and with the closure ball 35 absent. VJhen let down, the shoe acts as a float shoe, the ball valve I1 being against the seat. In that position fluid in the form of water, drilling fluid, or cement may be passed downwardly to wash or cement in the usual manner.

When it is desired to pack off a formation of oil or gas, such as I9, the shoe is positioned as shown with the packer above the formation lll. The closure ball is then dropped down so as to come to rest upon the seat 34 of the sliding valve 29. Hydraulic pressure is now applied. This rst causes the valve 29 to move down, thereby causing the attached member or sleeve 26 to also slide on the shoe and compress the packer 25 axially and cause it to expand against the formation, as shown in Figure 2. During this movement the shear pins 3l will travel in the ports 2l until these pins reach the bottoms of these ports or until the packer is set; until such time, the ports 2l will preferably remain covered by the valve 29. Further downward movement of the Valve 29 will cause the pins to shear either by engagement of the pins withthe bottoms of the ports or because the sleeve 2S is held stationary by the packer it will shear off the pins. The slips 32, however, will engage the shoe body and prevent any upward movement of the member 26. Further downward movement of the sleeve will uncover the ports, as shown in Figure 2, and thereafter any fluids such as water for washing or cement for cernenting will issue through the side ports and `seal olf a formation Such as il. The shearing of the pins is readily determinable, because during the shearing the hydraulic pressure will rise while after shearing the pressure will drop. As shown in the drawing the ports 2l remain covered'until the pins are sheared but it is evident that the upper end of the valve 29 could partially uncover said ports prior to shearing since the slight escape of pressure through the partially open ports would not be suicient to reduce the hydraulic pressure acting against the valve 29 to the point that subsequent continued downward movement of said valve would be interfered with.

It will therefore be seen that this invention accomplishes its objects. A simple and effective equipment is provided, which is practically universal in its capabilities; for the same equipment may be used for washing and/ or cementing below or above the bottom of the shoe. The construction is such that the equipment may be readily let down the hole, and it is simple in its construction an effective in its operation. It will further be noted that the inside diameter of the shoe is the same as the pipe on which it is run. rllhe inside of the shoe is composed of a readily drillable material so as to facilitate subsequent drilling operations.

The invention having thus been described, what is claimed is:

1. Well equipment of the character described, comprising, a hollow shoe having a longitudinally elongated side port, an annular valve slidably mounted in the bore of the shoe initially closing the side port and movable relative to the shoe to open said port, initially retracted elastic packer surrounding the shoe and having its lower end anchored to the shoe, said packer being expansible to engage a well formation, an annular follower on the upper end of the packer, means extending through the side port and connecting the follower to the valve, and a closure for closing the annular Valve whereby hydraulic pressure may be applied against the closure and valve to move said valve and follower downwardly relative to the shoe to expand the packer and open the side port, the inherent elasticity of the packer normally maintaining the packer in its unexpended position and thereby 'maintaining the follower and valve in a raised position with respect to the shoe until hydraulic pressure is applied to the closure and valve.

2. Well equipment as set forth in claim l, wherein the shoe and annular valve have a ow passage therethrough, together with an upwardly closing check valve means within the passage for preventing upward flow through said passage within the annular valve and the hollow shoe.

3. Well equipment as set forth in claim l, together with means interposed between the follower and shoe for maintaining the packer in its expanded position after it has been moved to such position by the application of hydraulic pressure to said follower.

4. Well equipment as set forth in claim l, wherein the bore of the follower' is formed with a locking element recess, and a locking element mounted within said recess and adapted to engage the exterior of the shoe to lock the follower against upward movement with respect to the shoe.

5. Well equipment as set forth in claim l, wherein the shoe is adapted to be connected with a well casing and wherein the internal diameter of the said shoe is substantially as great as that of said casing, said annular valve being formed of readily drillable material whereby drilling tools of a size which will pass through the casing may also pass through said shoe.

G. A. packer adapted to be lowered into and set within a well bore including, a tubular body having a side port, a valve having an axial flow passage therethrough slidable within the body and initially closing the port, an elastic packer on the exterior of the body having its lower portion anchored to the body, a follower on the upper end of the packer, a connecting means extending through the port for connecting the follower with the valve, closure means for the passage through the valve whereby hydraulic pressure may be applied to the valve and connected follower to move said valve and follower relative to the body and packer to expand the packer and open the port, and means interposed between the body and follower for locking the packer in expanded position.

7. A packer adapted to be lowered into and set within a well bore including, a tubular body having a side port, a valve having an axial flow passage therethrough slidable within the body and initially closing the port, an elastic packer on the exterior of the body having its lower portion anchored to the body, a follower on the upper end of the packer, a connecting means extending through the port for connecting the follower with the valve, closure means for the passage through the valve whereby hydraulic pressure may be applied to the valve and connected follower to move said valve and follower relative to the body and packer to expand the packer and open the port, said follower having a recess therein, a locking member within the recess adapted to engage the exterior of the body to lock the follower against upward movement thereon, coacting surfaces on said member and within the recess for urging said member into locking posi-F tion upon upward movement of the follower with respect to said body.

8. A packer as set forth in claim 1, wherein the connecting means is a frangible pin which moves within the port whereby downward movement of the valve is imparted to the follower to apply pressure to the packer until said pin engages the lower end of the port at which time subsequent movement of the valve fractures said pin to disconnect the valve from the follower to permit subsequent independent movement of the valve within the body.

9. A cementing packer including, a tubular body having a bore extending entirely therethrough and having a longitudinally elongated side port in its wall, an annular valve slidable within the bore of the body and closing said port when in a raised position therein, downward movement of the valve opening said port, an elastic packing element surrounding the body and having its lower end anchored to the body and having its upper end disposed belowthe upper end of the side port when in its initial undistorted position, an annular follower sleeve slidably surrounding the body and superposed on the packing element, connecting means extending through the port connecting the sleeve with the annular valve, the packing element when in its initial unexpanded position maintaining the valve in a raised position closing the side port, the valve and shoe having a ow passage therethrough an upwardly closing back check valve means in said passage for preventing upward ow but permitting downward flow through the tubular body and through the annular valve, whereby a cementing or washing operation may if desired be carried out through they annular valve and body, a closure for the annular valve, whereby hydraulic pressure may be applied to the closure and annular valve to move the same downwardly relative to the body to impart downward movement to the follower sleeve to expand the packing element, downward movement of the annular valve opening said port to establish communication between the bore of the body and the space above the expanded packing element.

10. A cementing packer as set forth in claim 9, together with locking means interposed between the follower sleeve and the body and arranged to permit downward movement of the sleeve relative to the body while locking the sleeve against upward movement thereon, whereby the expanded packing element is locked in its expanded position by said sleeve.

11. A cementing packer as set forth in claim 9,

wherein the connecting means between the sleeve and valve is a frangible pin which is arranged to be fractured by continued application of hydraulic pressure after the packing element is expanded whereby the annular valve element may undergo subsequent movement relative to the body and independently of the follower sleeve and packing element.

12. A packer adapted to be lowered into and set within a well bore comprising, a hollow shoe having a lower axial cementing port and having an upper longitudinally extending side port, an expansible packer element surrounding the shoe at least partially below the side port, an annular valve within the shoe initially closing the side port and slidable downwardly within the shoe to open the port, a rigid sleeve slidable on the exterior of the shoe and superposed upon the expansible packer element, a frangible connection between the sleeve and valve slidable in said port and providing for limited movement of the valve and sleeve relative to the shoe to expand the packer, the major portion ofthe port remaining closed during such limited movement, a closure for the annular valve whereby uid pressure may be employed to move the valve and sleeve to rst expand the packer and to subsequently fracture the frangible connection whereupon the side -port may be fully opened after'fracturing of the frangible connection.

13. A packer as set forth in claim 12, wherein the shoe is adaptable for connection upon the lower end of well casing adapted to be cemented in a well bore and also wherein the bore of the shoe has an internal diameter substantially equal to the bore of said casing, said valve and closure being constructed of a readily drillable material, whereby after the cementing operation a drill bit having a size capable of passing through the well casing may drill out said valve and closure.

LILLIAN V. LARKIN. LILA G. DANCY, ST. LOUIS UNION TRUST COMPANY, By M. A. HINTON,

Asst. Trust Officer, Erecutors df the Estate of John J. Larkin, De-

ceased.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,808,958 Lane et al. June 9, 1931 1,992,933 Baker et a1. Mar. 5, 1935 2,122,742 Hanes July 5, 1938 2,122,749 Morrisett July 5, 1938 2,187,481 Baker et al Jan. 16, 1940 2,189,697 Baker Feb. 6, 1940 2,458,278 Larkin Jan. 4, 1949 

